By themselves, peanuts are pretty innocent— it’s the process of turning them into butter that crosses into dangerfood territory. To make peanut butter, the nuts are roasted, cooled, shelled, and ground. When other ingredients like salt, hydrogenated vegetable oil, dextrose, corn syrup and honey are added, the trouble starts. They may make the peanut butter smoother and lengthen its shelf life— but at what cost?

Along with extra sugar, these added ingredients could mean the addition of trans fat. Trans fats are considered among the worst fats because they raise “bad” (LDL) cholesterol and lower “good” (HDL) cholesterol levels, possibly increasing the risk of heart disease The negative effects of hydrogenated trans fats and what to do about them. Kummerow, FA. Department of Bioscience, University of Illinois, Urbana, 61801, United States. Atherosclerosis, 2009 Aug;205(2):458-65. Epub 2009 Mar 19.. Even if the label says, “zero trans fats,” it’s still possible to contain up to half a gram per serving. Look for “partially hydrogenated oil” listed as an ingredient— this could be a sign that the peanut butter contains this bad boy.

Step Away From the Jar – Your Action Plan

Try sticking to one serving of peanut butter at a time— 2 tablespoons, or about the size of a ping pong ball— an amount some studies suggests has increased in recent decades Food portions are positively related to energy intake and body weight in early childhood. McConahy, K.L, Smiciklas-Wright, H., Birch, L.L. Departments of Nutrition and Human Development and Family Studies, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA. J Pediatr. 2002 Mar:140(3):340-7.! We know it’s tempting to lick peanut butter straight from the spoon, but beware— when the tongue is doing the talk-, err, licking, it’s hard to know when to stop.

If peanut butter isn’t a favorite, try these alternatives made from lower-fat nut options. Some good options are almond butter, which is slightly sweeter than peanut butter and contains more calcium and fiber, or soy nut butter, which has fewer calories than peanut or almond butter, supplies soy protein, and contains less fat than other butters.

We’re not saying cut out the peanut butter completely – imagine a childhood without peanut butter and jelly (the average American child eats 1,500 P&J sandwiches before even graduating from high school)! The main thing to remember: stick to one serving size of peanut butter to reduce calories and cholesterol-raising saturated and trans fats.